1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum acoustic wire assembly used in drum sets, marching drums, concert drums, etc. and more particularly to a drum acoustic wire assembly used in snare drums and to a drum that uses the same.
2. Prior Art
A snare drum, for instance, is designed so that a special acoustic effect that imparts the musical instrument a peculiar light tone color known as “pattering” by way of selectively causing a drum acoustic wire to come into contact with and then separate from the drumhead and thus transmitting the vibration of the drumhead to the drum acoustic wire. Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-50372, for instance, discloses a structure for mounting such a drum acoustic wire.
The acoustic wire assembly of this prior art includes a plurality of acoustic wires (or snares) arranged with suitable spaces in between and are held at the ends by retaining members. Differences in the shape of the acoustic wires or differences in their materials can result in an extremely wide range of variations in sounds.
As to the differences in shape of wires used in acoustic wire assemblies, there are generally two types: acoustic wires produced by winding the wires into a coil, and acoustic wires in a form of straight wires. As to the materials, a great many different types of materials are used for acoustic wires, including steel, stainless steel, copper-based metal and other non-ferrous metal, and nylon, aramid fibers and other synthetic resins.
The cross sectional shape of acoustic wires is not always circular when the wires are made of synthetic resin fibers or wires (those that are twisted); however, metal acoustic wires basically have a circular cross section of constant diameter for its entire length. Accordingly, as to the conditions of initial contact with drumheads, there are differences between coiled acoustic wires and straight acoustic wires. In coiled acoustic wires, the wires come into contact with a drumhead at points, while the straight acoustic wires make a line contact with a drumhead. Thus, the manner of contact between a drumhead and acoustic wires vary depending upon the shape (coiled or straight (non-coiled)) of the acoustic wires. However, regardless of such type of acoustic wires, the contact state of the wires is substantially the same for its entire length in coiled wires or straight wires as long as the wires have a circular cross section; and therefore, with the circular cross sectional acoustic wires, the acoustic characteristics of pattering sound are the same on any point of the wires, and such characteristics are monotone and unattractive. Here, the “acoustic characteristics” of pattering sound comprise sound level, frequency elements which the pattering sound involves, damping characteristics of pattering sound and so on.
The percussive sound made by a drumhead and acoustic wires is proportional to the amount of contact of wires of an acoustic wire assembly with a drumhead. Accordingly, in order to increase the volume of percussion sound in an acoustic wire assembly that has acoustic wires with a circular cross section, it is necessary to increase the amount of contact by way of increasing the length the acoustic wires and/or the number of the acoustic wires.